Welcome to Reality
by conversecrazed
Summary: This is the way it always started out Them yelling at me, me getting out of bed sore from all the fresh bruises, covering them up, going to school, and pretending to be the perfect girl, the girl with no problems.Rated M for safe but it's probably rated T


Disclaimer: I own everything. This is totally made up by moi.

Author's note. Okay sorry i haven't updated in forever. This story is really dark compared to my others. I tried writing in a different way and I think it worked out well. Read and Review plz.

**Welcome to Reality**

"GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!" This is the way it always started out. Them yelling at me, me getting out of bed sore from all the fresh bruises, covering them up, going to school, and pretending to be the perfect girl, the girl with no problems.

Then I come back home and the torture starts all over again. Sometimes even multiple times.

"Joyce, Joyce....JOY!" Monica said, trying to get my attention. Isn't it ironic how my name is Joy yet my life is anything but?

"Hello? Anyone in there?" She said. "You're not telling me something."

I sighed. For someone who was in high school and didn't know what no meant, she was really perceptive.

"Nothing's wrong, just daydreaming like usual, you know me." Then I pasted a smile on my face, hoping she would buy it. She didn't.

"Yeah, I do know you, which is why I know that something's wrong. So spill, now." I sighed, maybe someday I would tell her and then be free. I would just live my life, I would not have to live in fear but right now, I live in fear; a big black hole of fear.

So I don't tell her, I don't tell anyone, not my closest friends, not my relatives, and my parents are basically dead to me. I have no one. It's how they want it and how I'm going to keep it, until that faithful day comes when I stand up to them, turn them in, and become my own person.

"JOY!! You spaced out AGAIN! What's wrong?!"

"Nothing, just nothing...so did you hear about the new boy?" I managed to distract her, at least for now.

Throughout the whole day, everything reminds me of them, about what's waiting for me, my fate. I shudder. Today's worse than usual. Sometimes I can just relax and forget them but seriously, today, just today, I don't think I can take it, the paddle of the ping pong paddle going back and forth, the meter stick in the physics room dropping to the floor, the bright red Valentine signs, someone accidently falling, a guy getting bullied, someone shoving someone down by accident. I just can't take it.

"JOY!"

"What! I didn't do anything. Don't hurt me, I swear I didn't." I say before I put my arms protectively above my head. My group of friends look at me weirdly. Monica leans in and says, "You're coming over to my house tonight, whether you like it or not. We're talking."

I try to say that my parents won't let me and they really won't but before I can say anything she goes, "Don't even say that you're parents won't let you. You've used that excuse way too many times. This time you're not getting out of this." I look down at the floor and cross my arms in defiance but don't say anything. Well I can't. I have used the parent excuse way too many times but it's not an excuse; it's true.

After I finally give into Monica, I remember what they said to me before I left. "Tonight, come directly or else."

I shudder. I don't know what they're capable of doing and I don't want to find out. Unfortunately, I guess I'm finding out tonight after I go to Monica's.

School ends a little to quickly for me. As I walk out of the school building, I see Marti. Her full name's Margarita - Tequila. She is such a sweet girl, too bad her parents were drunk when they named her. Well I guess she has a worse life than me. I mean her brothers are in jail, her mom's an alcoholic, and her dad's abusive. I wonder how she lives. I mean even with only them, I want to die sometimes.

That brought me out of my thoughts and into reality. I would want to be dead tonight if I didn't go home, directly. I wondered if I could just rush home before Monica could catch me but right then she grabbed my wrist. I sigh. I guess I'm really going through with this.

On the way there, we just chit chat. You know the regular high school stuff, grades, boys, friends, drama, etc. Then me being a klutz and all, I trip and fall, hitting the concrete.

I feel the concrete hitting one of the biggest bruises that I had gotten, yesterday. I really wanted to just curl up in a ball and cry but then Monica would suspect something. So I took a deep breathe and said in a shaky voice, "Could you help me?"

She nods and holds a hand out. While I think she's not looking I clutch my hip in pain and then take her hand, making sure she didn't see anything. She can't see anything.

When we arrive to her house, I walk to the bathroom. In there I roll my sleeves up, I roll my jeans up, and roll my sweatshirt up so you can see my stomach. I inspect myself and flinch at the sight I see, all purple and black bruises covering my fading yellow bruises covering my arms, my hips, my stomach, and my legs. Then I spot a little red on my knee. I groan, my scar split and blood was gushing out.

"Everything okay in there?" Monica asks before opening the door. I freeze. I see her eyes take in the bruises and the blood. Then I see her eyes flash with the memories of me flinching whenever she hugged me, not being able to come to her house, me never wanting her to meet my parents, me flinching when anything violent happened, and me shrieking, "Please don't hurt me!" multiple times. I know I can't hide it anymore, it's time to tell her.

Before I can move she goes to the mirror cabinet gets out ointments, bandages, and herbal medicine. Then without a word she starts applying them on me.

I was speechless. I hadn't been taken care of since I was 10. It really affected me. Someone who wasn't my family was caring for me more than my parents ever had. She was truly something.

After that was done she dragged me to the kitchen table, got a pack of ice, cookies and milk and sat down. I put the ice on my scar and started eating. I always worked up an appetite. Monica, well she just sat there, waiting. She didn't push like usual, she let me take my time and I was grateful for that.

"So, when I was 10 something happened. My grandparents stopped giving inheritance money to my mom and dad. They became broke and the only way that could soothe their worries was drinking. They would come home at night, not my parents but strangers. They would beat me until I would be unconscious and they were satisfied. After a while they stopped drinking but the beatings continued. They always do." I said and then looked down.

She sat next to me and put her arm around my shoulders, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. After a while, I it doesn't hurt as much as it used too and sometimes the state of unconsciousness takes over."

"How is that good?" She asked looking straight into my eyes. I could see sorrow there, sorrow for me.

"I don't feel the pain then, but only in the morning." I said looking away.

"Is that why you started wearing make up at age 10? This is why you couldn't come over? This is why you daydream, why you flinch, why you're becoming detached from us?" She said barely above a whisper. I look down on the floor knowing that tears are about to spill out and the only thing I can say is, "Yes."

Then we just sit in silence. She's silently comforting me and I'm really grateful. Then she finally asks the dreaded question, "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

I wait a couple minutes thinking of all the responses I could give her, every single one of them, and finally decide to tell the real truth.

"I was scared. After all those years, they kept telling me that if I told anyone they would go all the way. They said that they were always going halfway, never fully. I never believed them but I'm scared to test them. I'm just scared."

"I understand but you know I have to tell someone right?" She said quietly.

"I know." I said and inside I'm sort of glad. I might be free soon.

"How?" With that one world I know she needs to know the details. She's my closest friend.

"Sticks, beaters, belts, towels, dishes, fists, feet, glass, anything they can get their hands on."

"Oh," is all she says. I know she's thinking about my cut and that glass probably cut it and it did. We just sit there. I don't know for how long but for a while. Then I finally look up and see the time.

"Oh Crap! NO it's midnight! They're going to kill me!" I run out of the house ignoring the pain that is all over my body, ignoring the future pain that I know is about to come, and definitely ignoring Monica. I have to go or it could get worse.

I arrive at home. Slowly I step in. They're waiting for me.

"WHERE WERE YOU?"

"WE SAID DIRECTLY COME OR ELSE!"

"GIRL YOU GOT YOURSELF IN A LOT OF TROUBLE." They said. I don't even do anything there's nothing to do.

I cry in pain as the lamp hits my head and the broken glass pieces slowly dig into my skin.

Then I hear the best sound in the world, police sirens. Monica really came through.

"DID YOU CALL THE POLICE ON US!"

"HOW DARE YOU! WE'RE YOU PARENTS!"

"You're not my parents, they disappeared when I was 10, you're strangers to me." Then everything blacks out. I slip into the state of unconsciousness. The best state.

"WAKE UP! YOU'RE SO LAZY!"

"GET UP NOW!" The strangers yell at me. I get out of my bed and do my routine. Them yelling at me, me getting out of bed sore, from all the fresh bruises, covering them up, me going to school pretending to be the perfect girl, the girl with no problems.

When I'm about to step out of the door, I hear them say, "Directly home or else."

All I can think of is maybe today I'll be free, maybe today my dream will come true.

Then I remember something that crashes all my dreams and hopes, **"Welcome to reality."**

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